The former Strictly champion believes Maddie needs better guidance as doubts grow over her routines with celebrity partner Cach Mercer. And with the couple already surviving a dance-off, Oti has warned that their scores could suffer further.
Maddie Ingoldsby’s first series as a professional dancer on Strictly Come Dancing has attracted growing scrutiny. Now, former champion Oti Mabuse has weighed in, questioning the choreography she has been producing with celebrity partner Cach Mercer.
Speaking on The Fifth Judge podcast with her husband, Marius Iepure, Oti suggested that Maddie was not receiving the guidance she needed. She also raised concerns that the professional dancer was failing to adapt her routines to the technical demands of the competition.
Her remarks come after Cach and Maddie narrowly avoided elimination in last weekend’s dance-off against Bethany Antonia and Nancy Xu.
Strictly fans have already questioned Maddie’s choreography
Maddie has divided viewers throughout her debut series as a Strictly professional. While many have praised her dancing ability, others have questioned whether her choreography is giving Cach the best chance to succeed.
Last month, one viewer took to X to write: “Maddie is a great dancer, but can someone support her with the choreography here?”
Another shared a similar concern, commenting: “She isn’t a bad teacher by any means, it’s the choreography that needs work.”
The criticism has continued as the couple struggle to secure stronger marks from the judges.
Oti Mabuse says Maddie needs better guidance
During the podcast discussion, Marius disagreed with Oti’s assessment. He said he enjoyed the routine and described its style as modern.
Oti, however, was less convinced. Having won Strictly with Kelvin Fletcher in 2019 and Bill Bailey in 2020, she questioned whether Maddie was getting the right support behind the scenes.
“I feel sorry for Maddie at this point because I don’t feel like she’s being guided properly,” Oti said.
She then compared Maddie’s approach to choreography on Dancing With The Stars, suggesting that a style that works on the American competition might not necessarily translate to the demands of Strictly.
Oti was particularly concerned that Maddie was not taking the technical requirements sufficiently into account.
“Now she’s done so many ballroom dances, she’s not listening. She’s going to get low scores,” she warned.
Her argument was that creative choreography alone would not be enough. Maddie also needed to give Cach routines that demonstrated the technique required to impress the judges and earn higher marks.
With the pair already having faced the dance-off, Oti’s comments raise further questions about whether their approach needs to change.
Cach and Maddie survive a tense Strictly dance-off
The criticism comes after a difficult weekend for the couple.
During Saturday’s live show, Cach and Maddie scored just 26 points for their waltz, leaving them joint bottom of the leaderboard alongside John Nellis and Katya Jones.
Their position sent them into the dance-off against Bethany Antonia and Nancy Xu.
The judges were split over which couple deserved to stay. Craig Revel Horwood and Motsi Mabuse voted to save Bethany and Nancy, while Anton Du Beke and Shirley Ballas chose to keep Cach and Maddie in the competition.
With the panel tied, head judge Shirley’s deciding vote proved crucial. She backed Cach and Maddie, meaning Bethany and Nancy were eliminated.
The result allowed Cach and Maddie to continue, but it also left them under pressure to deliver a stronger performance next week.
Maddie faces growing scrutiny ahead of the next live show
Oti’s criticism adds another prominent voice to the debate surrounding Maddie’s choreography. While she made clear that she felt the professional dancer deserved better guidance, her warning about low scores highlights the challenge facing the couple.
Cach and Maddie now need to demonstrate that they can combine entertaining routines with the technical precision expected by the Strictly judges.
Strictly Come Dancing returns to BBC One on Saturday, November 14, at 6.25pm.